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Toolin’ Up Tuesday: Motion Sensor Light

Are you looking for a little instant ease when it comes to kids home for summer vacation? I totally get you. Check out the Summer Survival Guide . It's chock-full of great ideas to organize your summer and enjoy great times with yours kids.

I have shared before that FishPapa is my Mr. Fixit. Whether it’s my mood or my garbage disposal, he can handle the job, Bob. And often, he takes care of something almost before I’ve even asked. (Not always, he’s still human — but he’s a pretty reliable dude, nonetheless.)

Our home was not built all that well, and when you’re a general contractor (or a general contractor’s wife) that can be a little annoying. You know all too well how it’s supposed to be. Needless to say, FishPapa has performed some great improvements in our home. He’s repaired faulty toilets, patched crooked walls, installed coat pegs and shelves, and reformatted closets to be more efficient. He’s currently building me a school room/family room and bathroom in the basement.

I’m a little spoiled, yes.

Awhile back he installed extra shelving in the pantry. The original set-up was three or four fixed shelves, spaced about 2 feet between each pair. Highly impractical. How many cans will stack 2 feet high? Too many. My new pantry shelves can be adjusted which makes for much more efficient storage.

But it had one remaining problem.

It was really dark in this closet since the overhead kitchen lights were several feet away. As I would put the groceries away, I would think, I wish there was a light in here. One day I wondered aloud, “I wonder how much a little light would cost for this pantry.” And then, I went on my merry way.

Well, about a week or two later, I came home from grocery shopping and headed to the pantry to unload. And as I was thinking, I wish there was a light in here… Ta-DA! A light went on! That man of mine had installed a motion-sensor light in the pantry while I was gone. The light comes on when it detects movement and switches off after 30 seconds, or so. (I’ve never counted.) It also has a switch to leave it off or on for good, as you prefer. It is a wonderful little tool that makes these eyes really happy.

The funny thing is that for days afterward I would go to the pantry and think, I wish there was a light in here… and Ta-DA! A light would go on! It took a couple weeks for the Pavlov’s Dog effect to wear off. And now I enjoy my light in peace.

Now if you’re not related to a contractor or an electrician, you can still enjoy an illuminating pantry! You can purchase a light that does the same thing, without the need of special wiring. Here’s one I found that would do the job.

What cool tool makes life a little easier at your house? Write about it on your blog and come back here with the link, so we can all learn about something new and nifty. If you don’t have a blog (or are just too lazy today), share your idea in the comments section.

Comments

Kitchen Aid mixer in the kitchen. LOVE my Kitchen Aid, eventhough I have over used it and it needs repairs.

Extended Arm Fluffy Brush thing for removing spider webs. We have major spider issues. Large ones and plenty of them. I sprayed for bugs this weekend. Until the spray takes effect, we killed a black widow this morning, it’s the Extended Arm Fluffy Brush on duty for web removal and light dusting.

That is a great idea! But, I suppose it would be a bit too obvious if I sent this link to my hubby? Actually, he is becoming quite the Mr. Fixit and I’m proud of him.

I came over today via Rocks in My Dryer. She wrote a post about comments. When I saw your comment, it I thought that I should tell you I’m always surprised that you don’t have tons of comments. Your blog is awesome. Just wait, I believe you will have many, many readers before long.

My husband has turned out to be pretty handy around the house, or at least he knows someone to call to get the job done. I build all of the furniture though. He has no “eye” for converting a 100 pieces of wood into a beautiful desk, etc.

I do have one question though, I LOVE your pantry shelves. I have a pantry that is similar in size with that metal slotted shelving in it. It’s so impractical because you can’t put anything on them with them tipping over or falling through. I would love for you (or your husband) to share the dimensions/spacing of the shelves.

Hi Veronica, thanks for stopping by. FishPapa is out of town so I can’t have him answer the question. But, clueless one that I am….I know that he lined the side walls with melamine which he had drilled holes in about 1-2 inches apart. The shelves are all melamine as well. It’s a durable and very washable material. Then we have little metal pegs that go in the side holes for the shelves to rest on. These are adjustable, so I can make them as close together or as far apart as I want. Hope that helps!

Welcome to Life as MOM! I'm FishMama, chief cook and bottle washer around here. I have six kids under 18, and I've lived to tell the tale. Want to know how to make the most out of what you have where you are? You've come to the right place.

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